Carton



United States Patent O CARTON Leonard McGihon, San Leandro, Calif., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Alexander Donald, doing business as King Sales & Engineering Co.

Application January 8, 1954, Serial No. 402,880

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-65) The present invention relates to rectangular cartons of the type having open sides after packing or iilling with containers to provide a view of the containers therein, and is concerned more particularly with an improved carton construction of this character which will facilitate closing of the carton after filling with containers without a gluing or fastening operation.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a carton affording a view of the contents, such as cans or other containers, wherein the carton is provided with end tabs or the like which have an enlargement at the end to form a key or securing means when tucked behind an adjacent container in the carton to be held in place by the container and `an adjacent panel. This enables closing of the carton without a subsequent gluing or fastening operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the carton in finished condition, as delivered from the carton manufacturer, the

' view showing the carton in perspective in partially open condition.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the carton after it has been fully erected and the containers placed therein, but prior to the final closing of the carton.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the carton after the final closing operation.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken in a plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Figure 3.

In the packing of containers iilled with products, for example, beer cans, and in packing such cans in a carton known as a View-Pack carton, it is customary to provide side openings in the carton through which the contents can be viewed. This type of carton has met wide consumer acceptance, and heretofore it has been the practice in filling the carton to secure certain portions of the carton adhesively to other portions thereof to provide the final erected and filled package. Where gluing is effected as a part of the filling and closing operation, such cartons must be held for a period of time to allow the glue to set, and this holding required relatively expensive units.

The instant invention is designed to provide a carton of the above character which does not require any gluing in the final closing operation and which can be easily erected from a ilat collapsed condition to an open condition in the carton filling and closing operation.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the carton is constructed symmetrically with respect to an end panel and has respective top and bottom panels 11 and 12 secured or hinged to the end panel 10 by score or bend lines 13 and 14. The top panel 11 is connected by bend line 16 to an "lee end panel portion 17, and the bottom panel 12 is similarly connected by a bend or score line 18 to an end panel portion 19. The end panel portions 17 and 19 are overlapped and adhesively secured together as a part of the carton manufacturing operation. Respective side aps or side wall portions are attached to each side edge of the top and bottom panels 11 and 12-including respective opposite side flaps 21 connected or hinged by respective score lines 22 to the panel 11, and respective side iiaps 23 connected or hinged to the bottom panel 12 by suitable score lines 24. At each end of the respective side aps 21 and 23, an extension or tab portion 26 is provided which is formed with an enlargement or key 27 at its end to form a lock. The key or enlargement 27 may be formed by wrapping the end of the tab portion 26 around a wire or rod 27a and stitching or stapling the end. These end tabs or extensions of the side ilaps are of a length to place the key when tucked into the carton beyond the portion of greatest diameter of the container 30 as seen for example in Figure 4, so that the end tabs or side flap projections are securely held in place and in turn hold the carton in closed condition.

With the carton conditioned as shown in Figure 2 for example, the containers 30 are inserted therein either manually or by suitable automatic means, and then the side flaps 21 and 23 are bent downwardly and upwardly respectively along their score lines and the locking projections or keys at the same time are lguided and forced between the adjacent container 30 and the respective end panel of the carton to the locking position shown in Figure 4. In this way a carton is provided which avoids any gluing or fastening operation during the filling thereof with containers, and still provides the desired view of the contents of the carton after filling.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of modification and variation from the form shown, so that its :scope should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

In a package including a carton and containers therein, said carton having respective top and bottom panels, respective end panels hinged to said top and bottom panels, a ap along at least one of the respective edges of said top and bottom panels and having a hinged connection thereto, a carton portion connected to said ap at an end thereof and having an enlargement at its end, said carton portion in the closed condition of the carton being disposed at a right angle to said flap in parallel relation to an adjacent end panel and between a container and said adjacent end panel, with said enlargement positioned from the edge of the carton beyond the area of contact of the container with the panel to form a lock to hold the carton in closed position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,705,849 Barber Mar. 19, 1929 2,306,624 Harris Dec. 29, 1942 2,307,349 Anderson Ian. 5, 1943 2,395,558 Lighter Feb. 26, 1946 2,410,148 Buhrmaster Oct. 29, 1946 2,605,895 Reynolds Aug. 5, 1952 2,611,527 Fisher Sept. 23, 1952 2,663,413 Foster Dec. 22, 1953 2,687,248 Freeman Aug. 24, 1954 

